DIY Studio Setup

While we do a fair amount of production for our clients, the bulk of our work lies in post -- taking available footage and turning it into social media gold for brands, retailers, experience providers, and content purveyors alike.

Especially during the pandemic, content creators have had to get, well, creative in their approach to production.  With many studio spaces shut-down, and strict social distancing guidelines in place all over the world, many of our clients have been forced to take matters into their own hands… so naturally, many have looked to us for tips and pointers.

So, with that in mind, the staff here at ChopShop has put forth a couple of different “DIY studio” kits that can be affordably attained, easily built, and are sure to level-up your in-home production capabilities.

BASIC DIY SETUP

These options will enable pretty much anyone to create an in-home studio experience that will vastly improve upon your selfie-game, and may even pass for a professional setup.

Cost estimate: $175 - $1,175 pending availability of recording device

• Smart Device or GoPro capable of at least 1080P HD video capture
• Ring Light w/ phone mount

• Lav Mic (or for iPhone)

• Soundproofing Tiles

• Paper backdrops (or non-gloss wall) or staged environment (office, bookshelf, etc.)

ADVANCED/IN-HOUSE STUDIO SETUP

These options would create a near-professional production studio in terms of audio and video quality.  With the addition of a greenscreen backdrop, we can incorporate different background options.

Cost estimate (pending Camera Need*): $2,750 - $3,000

*not including camera ~$750 - $1,000

• This is a great looking kit for lighting and backdrop

• 3-Point Lighting with softboxes and/or umbrellas
• Sony A7

• Zoom Mic

• Tripod

• Advanced Soundproofing

• Green Screen (if alternate background/addition of graphics desired)

RECORDING TIPS

• Camera positioning - best to have speaker at eye-level with camera
• Lighting - best to have 3-point lighting if possible, otherwise head-on from behind camera

• Sound - the amount of sound in the room may be more important than the background - it is nearly impossible to work around echo or edit-out competitive noise, so do whatever you can to avoid it!

So there you have it, what’s stopping you now?  You’re practically a professional now that you’ve simply read this article.  

All you have to do is create one of these setups in your own home/office, press record, then send us all of the footage!